How the Multifamily Impact Framework™ Enhanced LIIF’s Impact Scorecard 

By Monica Magalhaes, Impact Capital Initiatives Officer, Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) 

LIIF is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) that mobilizes capital and partnerships to expand access to funding for more Americans. The organization invests, partners and advocates based on its belief that high-quality affordable housing, early care and education, educational opportunities and good jobs are key to individuals’ and communities’ well-being. 

In 2020, Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) began to build a new framework for allocating its lending capital: the Impact-Risk-Profitability (IRP) Framework. The IRP embeds an intentional approach to assessing the impact of LIIF’s lending, with the same rigor as applied to risk of repayment and financial return. Within the IRP Framework, our Impact Scorecard plays a critical role. It is designed to assess community development projects and leaders who are strengthening communities by increasing access to critical resources, driving positive outcomes, and cultivating empowerment and engagement among community members. In 2025, LIIF had the benefit of incorporating enhancements to our Scorecard informed by the Multifamily Impact Framework™. By aligning with this national standard, we are strengthening the way we measure outcomes in affordable housing and ensuring our capital is advancing community-driven impact. 

The Multifamily Impact Framework™ has helped us sharpen and expand several criteria in our Scorecard, for example: 

• In the Quality Services criteria, we added health and wellness programs and economic mobility programs, drawing on the Framework’s Resident Engagement Checklist, with clear examples so lenders know what to look for in practice. 

• In the Community Engagement in Project Operations criteria, we incorporated housing stability programs, recognizing that the ability for residents to remain in place is central to building meaningful engagement. 

These enhancements make our Impact Scorecard a stronger tool for ensuring capital supports housing that advances opportunity, equity, and well-being. For lenders, the scorecard makes impact feel more tangible. For residents, it means housing investments are more responsive to their needs. 

At LIIF, we’re always working to strengthen our Impact Scorecard by learning from peers and partners across the field. As a member of the Multifamily Impact Council, we had confidence that the proposed enhancements reflected trusted, industry-wide expertise. That credibility helps build support internally for our ongoing journey to refine how we measure impact.